Our Hammers Correspondent meets David Moyes for the first time and the manager makes good impression

David Moyes with his West Ham shirt after being appointed as the new boss

West Ham have appointed a good manager in David Moyes – who says? Well, David Moyes of course!

The Scot strode into his first official press conference with a beaming, fixed smile on his face. He knows how to play the game for the television cameras and the waiting photographers.

He has a lot of work to do of course, both on and off the field, not least to win over the West Ham supporters who have so condemned his arrival.

“I think we need the supporters to get behind the players,” said Moyes cleverly. “This is a tough place to play as the opposition, but we don’t want it to be a tough place to play for our own players.

David Moyes.

“We want them to feel they are getting the support whatever happens.

“Things will go wrong, it is not possible for everything to go swimmingly in football. When it is not going well we will need them, so I hope they stick with us and stay behind us.”

When Sam Allardyce arrived at Upton Park he was asked about the so-called ‘West Ham way’ and Moyes, who spoke to ‘Big Sam’ before taking the job echoed what he had said.

“I remember Sam said, ‘what is the West Ham way?’

David Moyes smiles

“I love to see attacking play, I want to see goals and crosses and I want it to be entertaining,” said the former Everton man.

“But it’s no good if you’re shipping goals every week because you can’t win games. You have to start defensively, all the best teams have the best defences and we have to start from there and get a few clean sheets.”

So what does that mean for this West Ham team with their plethora of attacking players? Moyes doesn’t know yet.

“We have to find what’s best for us, wherever it’s four or three at the back, with the players that are available to us.

“I think we have to get ourselves bedded down, but I think we’ve got enough good attacking players to cause teams problems and score goals.”

Fitness is another factor that has been in the spotlight among the players and Moyes insists that they will be put through their paces.

“The responsibility has to be taken on by the players,” he said. “They do look fit. I would never ever say that the players weren’t fit enough, I would never ever say that because it is a terrible thing to say by a new manager about a former one.

“I am 100 per cent not saying that, but it has been brought to my attention that they could do a bit more so we will see how that works.

“I am in a bit of a rush now, so if you don’t like it, I’m sorry and we may need to upset a few to get to where we want to go.

“If anything I’ve seen a bit of franticness because I think they’re anxious to show the new manager what they can do.”

It seems that Moyes means business and he doesn’t mind upsetting some of the stars of this team.

“They’ve got to do the work,” he insisted. “If they don’t do the running they won’t play, I’m in a hurry and they will need to be as well.”

There may have been others they had approached first, just as was the case with Slaven Bilic, who did a pretty good job.

But if West Ham get the Everton David Moyes rather than the Sundeland one, then they might well have got the right man for the job.

“I think it is good for me and for West Ham,” said the new boss.

“it’s good for me because I’m back in, it’s what I love doing. I want to do well and I want the team to do well.

“I also think it’s good for West Ham as they have got a good manager!”

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